Eat Stop Eat: Success Stories and Tips & Tricks (Blog)

[wv2de]

I hope your first try worked out well (and that everyone else is doing well). I figured that I'd probably do ok with this, and so far I am. I've had a couple food cravings, but it's been just slight cravings. Drinking water has been enough to keep me comfortable. I've got about 6 hours left to make 24, but that means I've already made 18 hours without any issues. I feel fine, too, though nothing out of the ordinary. I've got my schedule out for 8 weeks in my workout log already, and it looks like I'll be able to give this thing a try . I'll post some more updates - this is one of the best threads for eat stop eat I've run in to, so I'm eager to contribute.

One thing I'll add is that sparkling/soda water (sprudel, mineralwasser, etc.) is pretty common in Germany, and having some bottles of that around is nicer than drinking plain tap water (although I do gulp plain tap water right after waking and before bed most days). To those of you who can't go without a diet soda, I'd recommend trying some good sparkling water just as a test - breaking away from soda and caffiene is a chore but a worthwhile pursuit. I prefer the gerolsteiner sprudel - they sell it on base with american labelling, so that means they do export to the states - give it a try! It's actually pretty good and doesn't taste like that funky soda water you're all surely imagining...

Randy

Edit: I did get some before pics and a video, although I'll hold off posting them until I have the next pictures in two weeks. I weighted 203 lbs on Friday, so that will be my starting weight.

[wv2de]

Happy Holidays to everyone, and I hope everyone was able to eat their favorite foods in moderation without falling off the bandwagon. I did fairly well, myself, and just gave myself one day to eat whatever (I didn't really eat that poorly), especially since it was Christmas dinner.

I've done three fasts so far, and each time I've been hungry the last hour or two (just stomach rumbling - no discomfort or other problems). Other than that they've been fine. The last two were 22 and 23 hours, respectively, but that was due to scheduled dinners with family/friends - not because I couldn't hold out. I like the fact that 16 hours is the period after which you get the benefits, and that the acutal time is flexible - it allows you to just eat dinner when it is convenient before and after the fast but not worry about the exact time.

On progress - It's hard for me to tell (especially since I'm letting my beard grow atm) - I haven't been to my normal gym lately to use my usual scale, and due to normal differences like fluid levels, stomach content, etc it's still too soon to tell. My bathroom scale told me this morning that I'm somewhere in the 3-5 lb loss range, though. I'm not stressing weight loss over fat loss, but I do expect to lose some weight since I'm not really doing gym work for adding muscle right now (just some kettlebell strength and cardio stuff). I still plan to go at least 8 weeks and really see if it will work or not.

Misc - I've noticed a slightly improved attentiveness/wakefulness on fasting days similar to some other people who've posted. I think it may be somewhat suggestive, but who cares if you're more productive. I've also noticed that it seems to be helping my bowel movements stay more regular and... normal (almost didn't post that, but whatever - it's a lifestyle change so ppl might care). Other than that, the negative comments from other people are inevitable and possibly detrimental to some people. I enjoy the Sunday fast since I'm typically alone, but when people see that you're not eating they (usually with good intentions) say that it's not healthy and start talking about stuff they don't know anything about ( -> pet peeve). If you plan to do this diet, I suggest you only discuss it with people who will support you and be ready for the negative comments you'll get.

I'll post again on my progress next year - good luck and happy new year to all!

Randy

[wv2de]

Happy New Year! Just a quick note to say that the diet is going well. I cheated a little bit for Christmas dinner, but I do have 'cheat days' sometimes (not more than once per week) when I feel the need to. The scale still isn't saying much, but I might be putting on some muscle,too, from the heavier strength training. I haven't had a bad day or experience yet with the fasting, and the schedule I set around my workouts seems to be working nicely. I'm still planning on sticking it out for 8 weeks - 6 weeks to go, so check back for pictures next month!

Sunday - Fast/dinner only
Monday - Heavy workout
Tuesday
Wednesday - Light workout
Thursday - Fast/dinner only
Friday - Med workout
Saturday

Good luck to everyone working towards new goals in 2010!

Randy

[wv2de]

Just a quick note to add that I'm just over two weeks and down 6 lbs! 203 on Dec 18th and 197 yesterday (Jan 4, 2010). It might be some fluid weight, but I don't usually fluctuate more than 3-4 lbs. I'm still feeling good, but my heavy workout day yesterday wasn't the best - probably due to the time off for the holidays, though.

Randy

[wv2de]

Wearing pants today that I haven't worn in 3 years... (34" waist, have been wearing 36"). 196 lbs on the scale at the gym and noticing visible changes in the mirror already!

[Rokku]

Great stuff!

[wv2de]

One month in, down 9 lbs (194 now), enjoying being comfortable in my 34" jeans .

Randy

[tarun]

Just a headsup, when you live in a place like Michigan (where I go to college right now), and its cold outside, its very hard to hold fast. I had no problem doing fasts last fall semester, but this winter so far, I've failed in completing about the last 3 fasts (didn't even hit 16 hours). The cold gets you very hungry. Be careful.

[wv2de]

Just a headsup, when you live in a place like Michigan (where I go to college right now), and its cold outside, its very hard to hold fast. I had no problem doing fasts last fall semester, but this winter so far, I've failed in completing about the last 3 fasts (didn't even hit 16 hours). The cold gets you very hungry. Be careful.

We've had snow on the ground and temps in the teens for the last couple weeks and I've been ok (In Germany atm, but grew up in WV). The fasting may definitely be a problem for some people, but the fasts themselves are fine for me. I just chug water if I have annoying hunger pangs and I'm good . I suppose it might also be good to schedule fasts so you'll be busy during them and not have as many opportunities to cheat. When I fast during a work day (banker's hours at a desk job), I barely even think about it... Coffee also helps kill hunger, and I'll sometimes have a coffee or two on fast days (I try to keep it to a minimum tho, it keeps me up at night if I have it during the day too much).

One tip I do have after doing 8 fasts successfully so far, is to not eat a HUGE meal before the fast. Have a full lunch and a smaller dinner without bread or too much starch at all (oil/vinegar on a smaller grilled chicken salad would be good). A couple times I ate pretty full dinners before a fast (relatively), and I was noticably more hungry during the fast (so I drank more water, had some tea, and a coffee at one point).

I will definitely agree that fasting is not going to be for everyone - if you find yourself not able to stick to ESE after trying for a few weeks then you should probably think about trying another diet. Simply eating right, doing strength training, and upping your cardio should be enough over the long term. If you're still having trouble, reduce your carbohydrates to ONLY after strength training (and in moderation then).

Randy

[wv2de]

The last couple weeks I've stayed the same weight. I missed a day on purpose due to some training I wanted to have energy for, and I missed some workouts and slipped up on my diet some. The good news is I didn't lose anything, and since I only missed a single fast, it's just proof that the fasting alone isn't enough - you obviously still have to keep up with controlling at least your diet most of the time. Overall I'm happy - I relaxed a little while staying with ESE and didn't lose any of the progress I made. I'm back on track now to continue improving .

Randy

*I did fit in some 32" jeans I haven't worn for years the other day, so I might be losing fat and gaining some muscle - I'm still doing my kb strength and endurance training (RKC/VWC).

[nburge]

I did my first fast today, more or less 20 hours long. No real hunger pangs throughout the day (someone left a chocolate cake in the office which I ignored, and I went to the shop for groceries without feeling like buying/eating something either). No problems with alertness - I felt fine all day, even my cycle ride home at the end of the fast (before eating) was no bother - I felt quite powerful actually.

One question though - I broke my fast with a small snack (meat and a gulp of milk, with a cherry tomato) then cooked my main dinner (roast beef, veg and roasted potato) but I couldn't finish it - less than I eat on a normal Sunday. How do you guys ensure you still get a reasonable calorie intake (I'm trying to lose weight, but should still eat ~2k calories/day)?

I'm intending to fast 2x per week (Tuesday and thursday) when I don't workout.

[Mehdi]

You have to think in caloric deficit at the end of the week rather than day. Let's say maintenance is 3000kcal/day. cutting 20% day is 600kcalx7 or 4200kcal/week or a little more than 1lbs fat loss (not pure but you get the point). Instead of eating 2400kcal/day to get that deficit, you can eat 3000kcal/day 6x/week, then fast 1x/week. Total calorie for that week is 18000kcal or 2570kcal/day, which is close to the 2400kcal/day you'd normally get. fast 2x/week and caloric deficit is bigger.

So focus on caloric deficit at the end of the week/month/year/etc; not a single day or meal.

[nburge]

Got it. The transition between daily calorie counting and weekly calorie counting is one I will have to get my head around. Otherwise fasting seems quite a simple way to reduce your caloric intake. I was sceptical when you first posted about it but have since been more interested in fat loss/diet and decided to give it a go. Thanks.

[Mehdi]

Yeah it's simple caloric reduction. You also get why you shouldn't fast more than 2x/week => caloric deficit gets too big, would cause starvation. You're welcome.

[nburge]

2x also seems quite convenient for me - allows me to have fun at weekends and eat properly on training days. I'll post up the results after a month - hopefully they'll be good.